1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to camera control systems adapted for monitor cameras.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional control of a remote camera by means of a network or the like, the remote camera is operated using a control terminal, and a control function window is displayed on the display screen of a control terminal (see FIG. 11).
In FIG. 11, a picture display area 901 displays an image captured by the camera. A scroll bar 904 is used to control operation of the camera in the tilt direction. By moving a cursor with a mouse or the like to drag a slide key 904a, this operation is controlled. A scroll bar 905 is used to control operation of the camera in the pan direction. By using the mouse or the like to drag a slide key 905a, this operation is controlled. A scroll bar 906 is used to control operation of the camera to zoom in/out. By using the mouse or the like to drag a slide key 906a, this operation is controlled.
The displayed positions of the slide keys 904a, 905a, and 906a indicate the respective current (present) parameters of the camera, namely, image-capturing directions set by a user, and a zoom magnification.
In the above-described conventional control of cameras, the displayed position of the slide keys 904a, 905a, and 906a, may be shifted compared with a camera parameter obtained when the presently displayed image was captured, due to limitations in the communication speed of the network, or to a data transfer delay caused by camera control processing.
Thus, the user cannot easily see that the presently displayed image is either an image obtained when a camera control operation terminated in accordance with an instruction from the user, or an image obtained when camera control is being performed. Image control operations of the camera are not immediately responsive to an instruction from the user, which causes the user to send unnecessary operation control instructions to the camera. As a result, there is a possibility that the user will not send appropriate operation control instructions to the camera.
Accordingly, for solving the foregoing problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a camera control system capable of executing appropriate control of camera operations.
To this end, according to an aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object has been achieved through provision of a camera control system, comprising: acquisition means for acquiring present camera parameter information; and display means for simultaneously displaying camera parameter information based on a control command input by input means and the present camera parameter information acquired by the acquisition means.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object has been achieved through provision of a control method, comprising: an input step for inputting a control command for controlling operation of a camera; a control step for controlling the camera, based on the control command input in the input step; an acquisition step for acquiring camera parameter information in accordance with the control operation of the camera in the control step; and a display step for simultaneously displaying camera parameter information based on the control command input in the input step, and the camera parameter information acquired in the acquisition step.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object has been achieved through provision of a storage medium containing a program for executing a camera-control-system process for enabling control of cameras, the program comprising the steps of: inputting a control command for controlling operation of a camera; acquiring present camera parameter information; and simultaneously displaying camera-parameter-related information and the acquired present camera parameter information.